Many individuals take prescription medications daily. Among other health concerns, it is unclear if certain drugs increase the risk of cancer.
In an attempt to shed further light on associations between cancer and prescription drugs, researchers mined the medical records and discovered seven broad associations that were novel and are worth a closer look-
Fluoxetine and paroxetine
For fluoxetine and paroxetine, the researchers observed 14 cases and 11 cases of cancer with a relative risk of 2.51 and 2.44, respectively- after a median duration of use of 10 months.
Hydrochlorothiazide
The researchers found 147 cases of lip cancer in patients who took the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide for a median of 58 months- with a relative risk of 2.29.
Concerning renal cancer, the researchers noted 537 cases in hydrochlorothiazide user- with a relative risk of 1.71.
However, they noted that this increased frequency of renal cancer could also be due to hypertension.
Hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine is a naturally occurring belladonna alkaloid derivative found in plants.
Researchers found 23 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma related to hyoscyamine, with a relative risk of 2.45- after a median use of 4 months.
Nifedipine
Researchers noted 46 cases of lip cancer in nifedipine users after a median use of 40 months- with a relative risk of 1.81.
Also, they counted 39 cases of laryngeal cancer, after a median use of 50 months- with a relative risk of 1.60.
Nortriptyline
With respect to esophageal cancer, the researchers noted 12 cases related to nortriptyline use, with median drug use of 9 months and a relative risk of 2.56.
With respect to liver cancer, they noted 19 cases, with median drug use of 14 months and a relative risk of 2.21.
Oxazepam
Researchers found that the use of oxazepam was tied to 117 lung cancer cases, after a median duration of 9 months use- with a relative risk of 1.54. Results could be confounded by smoking.
Sulindac
It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties.
Researchers found 9 cases of gallbladder cancer and 5 cases of leukaemia linked to the drug, with relative rates of 2.88 and 5.78, respectively. The median use of medication among patients was 6 months.
To know more about ’10 Psoriasis Triggers You Need To Look For!’, Click Here To know more about how WhiteCoats can help you in your professional advancement, visit www.whitecoats.com Want to set up an online consultation for your practice, Click Here
#leukaemia #Hydrochlorothiazide #paroxetine #Hyoscyamine #Nifedipine #Oxazepam #analgesic #Sulindac #Nortriptyline #antiinflammatory #antipyreticproperties #Fluoxetine